Courage
by everycloudhas
Summary: She ran. She ran to get the image of the intertwined hands to disappear from her mind.
1. Chapter 1

(勇気)

It was perfect.

It was everything a wedding should be.

The groom was handsome.

The bride was beautiful.

Everything was going smoothly,

Till,

The man of God uttered the timeless words.

"Should anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be join in holy matrimony,

Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Everybody waited.

Why would there be any?

Everybody knew they were meant for each other.

They were just strengthening their bond.

They were just making it official in the eyes of God.

The man of God smiled.

And he was going to continue when a soft trembling voice was heard.

There was shocked gasps of disbelief and disappointment.

Everybody knew she loved him.

But after all these years and on his wedding day,

She was finally going to tell him.

Everybody shook their heads and waited.

"I-I am not o-objecting." She stammered.

And everyone could see the tears cascading down her flushed cheeks.

Small and vulnerable.

She looked like she needed support.

She needed protection.

She looked beautiful.

And he scowled.

She cowered a little at his intense gaze.

But she needed to be strong for once in her life concerning her feelings.

She will never get the chance to tell him once they are joined together in the eyes of God.

She looked him straight in the eyes,

For this once,

Let her be selfish.

"I love you, I truly really love you,

I LOVE YOU!"

And Kurosaki Ichigo woke up drenched in his own sweat.

_'So she loves me, eh?_' He thought with his throbbing heart threatening to broke through his ribs due to how full of violent fury it was pounding against the rib cage.

And then,

A self-satisfied smile appeared on his smug face.

(勇気)

"So, anyone has any idea as to why we are all here waiting for Kurosaki?" Ishida Uryuu directed his question to the blank faces staring back at him.

"No one knows?" They shook their heads. "One would have thought he would have the decent courtesy to not let us wait for him, after all he was the one who called us here." Ishida continued to grumble.

He was a busy man. He did not have the time to waste. He has a ton of things to do instead of waiting for the idiot to show up. Five more minutes, and then he will learn what Kurosaki has to say some other time.

Inoue Orihime was suddenly very scared. Frightened as to what Kurosaki-kun was going to say. She did not what she fear most to come true. Tatsuki has only warned her the day before and she has told her best friend she has already accepted the inevitable but deep inside, there was still a very tiny shard of hope that refused to give up.

She looked down at her hands and started to clasp them tightly together as if she was praying.

Praying for...?

She heard footsteps but she did not dare to look up.

Heart thundering in her ears, she almost did not hear what was said.

"Nice of you to join us, Kurosaki?" Ishida began to gripe and then there was silence.

Orihime felt everyone's eyes on her.

She slowly, very slowly lifted her head.

Her first instinct was to run away and her second was to look at the man who must be hurting as much as she was.

_'Is this how I am appearing to the others now?'_ She thought sadly as she took in the pain in his eyes.

Was his heart feeling like it was shattering into a million pieces and even when it has healed itself, it will never be whole again.

Somebody coughed.

It was a signal for somebody to say something, anything.

Arisawa Tatsuki let out a long sigh of resignation. She glanced contemptuously at the couple holding hands. "I guess congratulations are in order." She let out another unwanted sigh on purpose.

Then, as if on a master puppeteer's invisible strings, they all turned to the gentle healer. Even Abarai Renji who felt his heart was being stomped on ruthlessly by the one he has secretly loved for so long turned to look at the auburn-haired princess, who sadly has lost her prince forever.

The pair of newly disclosed couple too have their attention on her.

All eyes were on her.

She tried, she really tried.

She absolutely tried to muster up a small smile but her poor broken heart did not even have the strength to let her do that.

The best she could do was to prevent her tears from showing up.

Eyes unnaturally bright, lips quivering, her words came out in almost a whisper,

"I am so happy for you, Kurosaki-kun. I always know that you and Kuchiki-san were meant to be together. I just remembered I have to go to the shop earlier than I should. I have to go now." She was glad she did not stammered but she knew the tears was on the brink of shedding from her eyes.

She bowed, gave a tiny wave and... ran.

"Inoue!" Kurosaki Ichigo dropped the hand he was holding and chased after her.

Tatsuki was stunned for a moment but then she too was ready to go after her best friend.

"Orihime!"

Kuchiki Rukia stood in her way, blocking her path to console her friend.

"Get out of my way, Kuchiki!" Tatsuki glared angrily at the one who was causing Orihime so much grief.

The short shinigami stood her ground. "No. This is between Ichigo and Inoue. Let the two of them finally resolve whatever they think they have."

"Rukia, I thought Inoue is a friend. How could you have pulled such a cruel stunt on her?" Renji, though he was hurting as much as Orihime has to pity the poor princess. She was just too sweet and innocent to have been subjected to such a heartless act. He was a big man, has survived through countless difficulties and he was going to live on, regardless of losing the one he loved. But the auburn-haired girl, his betrayed heart went out to her.

"That's right. I have even thought Kurosaki regarded Inoue-san as more than a friend." Insightful Ishida stated.

Tatsuki nodded sadly and said, "That's what I have always hoped for."

Sado Yasutora grunted out his agreement. He, being one of Ichigo's closest friend too thought his scowling friend held some sort of affection for the gentle healer. The eye not covered by his shaggy long hair showed sorrow for his cheerful friend. He wondered if she will ever smile so freely again.

"I thought he might even like her." The meek giant tragically offered.

Everybody seemed to be one mind regarding Ichigo's feelings expect for Rukia.

She folded her arms across her chest, "You are all wrong on all accounts. I did not 'planned' this. It was all Ichigo's idea. And for your information, he has never thought of Inoue as a friend and he most definitely does not like her." It almost sounded like gloating and something flashed in her eyes.

Whatever it was Tatsuki was going to smack it right out of her conceited face and then she was going after Ichigo. She almost relished the thought of making him feel as bad as Orihime was hurting inside.

The second strongest girl in Japan cracked her knuckles and... grinned.

(勇気)

Orihime ran.

She ran and shook the tears from her flushed face.

But she could not get the image of the intertwined hands to disappear from her mind.

She could hear him shouting for her.

Why?

And so she continued to run.

She did not notice the motorcycle speeding her way as she tried helplessly to escape from him.

Everything happened so fast and then she was in the arms of the one she loves but could never be hers.

She gazed hopelessly at him with her tear-stained face and before she could beg him to let her go,

He gently wiped the tears from her heated face and asked softly,

"Inoue, why are you crying?"

(勇気)


	2. Chapter 2

(勇気)

_'Why am I crying?'_

_'He has to ask why am I crying.'_

_'But... he does not know, does he?'_

_'How much I love him.'_

Inoue Orihime desperately tried to remove herself from the the cushioning warmth of being in Kurosaki-kun's arms. She tried wriggling her smaller frame out of his seemingly impossible-to-break from embrace.

Was she even trying to escape from him?

But this was wrong. So very wrong.

He belongs to another.

Trembling and hopelessly attempting to halt any new onset of tears from leaving her eyes, she laid her small shivering hands on his hard chest. She felt his muscles twitched beneath her soft touch.

She felt his heart.

Why was it beating so fast?

She pushed against him.

His hold on her tightened in response.

She pushed harder.

He held her even closer, till her weeping face landed on his chest.

"Kurosaki-kun, please let me go." She whispered against him and clenched his school shirt with her small hands till they turned into fists.

Kurosaki Ichigo looked at the delicate auburn-haired princess struggling in his arms.

She should be snuggling not struggling to get away from him.

"First, tell me why are you crying?" He repeated his question.

Orihime flinched, she looked up at Ichigo with a defiant glare, "I am not crying." She gave a stubborn pout.

Ichigo smirked, he moved one of his hands from her back to touch the tear-stained flushed cheeks, he enjoyed the feel of her soft smooth skin and the way it assured him, it was really her in his arms instead of some twisted dream of his.

He bent his head closer to her. "Are you not?" His warm breath caressed her cheek as his face was only inches from her rapidly blushing red face.

She dared not to move.

"If you are not crying," He continued to say in a soft husky voice, "Then," He unexpectedly kissed her heated cheek!

Orihime gasped. Her tiny fists clenched his shirt so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

She wondered whose heart was beating faster?

He tilted her teary face by her quivering chin for her to look at him straight in the face. He licked his lips, slowly,

"Why does it taste like tears?" He breathed out his finding.

Orihime's honey eyes widened in bewilderment at Ichigo's totally unusual behavior.

This was not Kurosaki-kun. This cannot be Kurosaki-kun. And yet, when she slowly unclenched her fists and placed both her pale hands on his chest again.

It was undeniably Kurosaki-kun's fast pounding heart she felt beating underneath her hands.

But Kurosaki-kun's heart was beating for another.

Images she desperately did not want see, images she so wanted to forget she has seen, images of the intertwined hands appeared, painfully mocking her of who Kurosaki-kun's was beating for.

And so, once again she struggled helplessly in his strong grip and pushed at his chest, in order to separate herself from him.

Like before, he wrapped his arms around her even closer to prevent her from escaping from him.

He felt moisture on his chest first before he heard the girl in his arms sobbing heartbreakingly.

He did not want to do this.

He did not want to make her cry.

He knew she was crying because of him.

He wanted to hear it from her lips.

"Inoue, please tell me why are you crying?" He pleaded with her.

Orihime sobbed sorrowfully into his chest.

Why must Kurosaki-kun torture her so?

He has found love.

Why can't he just let her go?

"Inoue, please trust me."

Trust him? Trust him to break her heart.

"I-I..." No. She could not say it.

"What is it, Inoue?"

"P-Please j-just let m-me go, Kurosaki-kun."

"No. Not unless you tell me why are you crying."

To Orihime, that sounded like an order.

Who did he think he was, hugging her, kissing her; albeit on the cheek and now ordering her to explain to him as to why she was crying.

The gentle healer has had enough.

She pushed hard at his chest.

She glared or tried to glare at him with puffy red eyes, an equally red nose and swollen pink lips, all, set in a trying to be fiercely determined flushed face.

She wiped her tears from her face roughly with her small pale hands.

She took a deep breath.

"Kurosaki-kun," Ichigo arched an eyebrow on hearing her tone of a voice.

It sounded so unlike the placid princess. It sounded strong. It sounded throaty. And it sounded...

Sexy.

At that definition, Ichigo unabashedly viewed the innocent auburn-haired classmate with eyes that tried to convince him otherwise.

He has always known she was beautiful.

But sexy?

Inoue and sexy just did not go together.

Or, do they?

He continued to stare shamelessly at her with this newly discovered observation firmly rooted in place.

Orihime was not intimidated by the look she was getting from Kurosaki-kun.

She tried once again to extricate herself from his steel-liked clasp. But it was of no avail.

'_Stupid strong Kurosaki-kun.'_ Orihime thought childishly and then she fought the urge to grin at her boldness for saying something bad about the one she has promised five lifetimes of her devoted love to in each lifetime.

But now, she guessed she will not get the chance to love him in this lifetime.

"Kurosaki-kun, people are staring at us." She told him in a stern voice.

Well, so was he. Not at them. At her and only at her.

"So?" He answered her indifferently and continued with his gaze on her.

That one word apathetic answer really riled the gentle healer.

Never has she felt so irritated with Kurosaki-kun.

She glared at him exasperatedly, "People are staring. People will talk. Kuchiki-san might see us. She might get the wrong idea." She elaborated in simple short sentences for him.

"And what's the wrong idea?" He asked her flippantly.

Orihime really was frustrated with this superficial side of Kurosaki-kun. She...

She wanted to hit him.

And so she did.

She punched him on his muscular chest with all her might in her clenched up tightly tiny fist of lost chances.

He has to smirk. "I am sorry, Inoue. Was that suppose to hurt?" She looked angry. But at least, she was not crying anymore.

'_I bet it does not hurt as much as my heart is now._' Orihime thought sadly.

He saw the change in her expression. "Inoue,"

"Kurosaki-kun, please, I beg of you. Let me go."

"No. Not unless you..." Ichigo started to ask again, but he was cut off by a furious shout from Orihime.

"NO! I will not tell you. Stop asking me to." She wished she could hate him for what he was putting her through, but she has no one to blame for her own predicament but herself.

He looked at her with a knowing expression on his face. "Fine, then smile for me."

"H-Huh?"

"Smile for me to prove you are happy that I am with Rukia. That was what you said earlier, was it not?"

Orihime tried, she really tried but again, she was unable to. Just the thought of Kurosaki-kun and another, even someone as compatible as Kuchiki-san was for him was just too much for her to bear.

She really wished she hated him and she did not love him so much.

She jumped when she felt his rough fingers at the edge of her mouth, "You can't do it, can you?" He guessed correctly.

Her eyes filled with tears. "Why is Kurosaki-kun so cruel?" She sobbed out.

He gently wiped the tears that escaped from her eyes.

"I am not the cruel one here. You are the heartless one."

"W-Why am I the h-heartless o-one?" Orihime stammered her confusion.

"For denying me the chance to have your heart."

"W-What? I-I do not understand."

"I heard you, Inoue. I overheard your surprisingly enlightening conversation with Tatsuki."

"W-What c-conversation?" She asked nervously.

Ichigo lightly scowled at Orihime. He fixed her a steely look to dare her to deny she did not know of any such conversation.

Orihime was panicking. She chewed her bottom lip as a reflex to her fidgeting without the use of her hands. She forced herself to remember. _'What conversation? I have lots of talks with Tatsuki-chan. Which one has Kurosaki-kun overheard? Why is he saying about I not giving him a chance? A chance for what?' _She glanced at him timidly from beneath her tears drenched eyelashes.

He raised an eyebrow at her unintended kittenish look.

"Inoue."

"I am trying to remember, Kurosaki-kun." She huffed out her annoyance at him. "Could you help me to refresh my memories?"

Ichigo sighed at the genuine plea for assistance.

"Love, Inoue. Love."

"L-Love?" Ichigo nodded.

'_What is the 'love' Kurosaki-kun is talking about?' _Orihime thought frantically_. "Love. Love. Love...' _She stared at him as realization dawned.

"O-Oh."

'_That conversation.'_

(勇気)


End file.
